1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vehicle imaging system that images at least a part of an area around a vehicle, and outputs image data, and a vehicle control apparatus using the vehicle imaging system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a control system called, for example, LKA (Lane Keeping Assist), has been available. The control system detects the position of a road compartment line drawn or laid on a road, recognizes the positional relation between a host vehicle and a driving lane, and executes a control so that steering torque is automatically output to make the host vehicle travel without deviating from the driving lane (hereinafter, the control will be referred to as “lane keeping control”).
Also, a control system called, for example, a pre-crash safety system, is available, and the control system is being studied. The control system detects an object ahead of a vehicle, determines a possibility of a collision between the host vehicle and the object, and executes various controls (hereinafter, the controls will be referred to as “collision prediction control”).
Also, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-47390 (JP-A-2005-47390) describes the invention relating to a vehicle lighting system that emits light with a predetermined visible wavelength to an object imaged by infrared imaging means, and includes a filter that prevents the light with the predetermined wavelength from entering the eyes of a driver.
Also, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3119031 describes the invention relating to an imaging apparatus that includes a camera provided in an instrument panel, which images a head of a driver using an infrared ray; a visible light cut filter provided ahead of a front surface of the camera; and an infrared ray cut filter provided in an upper portion of a front windshield. In this apparatus, the infrared ray cut filter blocks the infrared ray entering a cabin from outside, thereby maintaining the intensity of the infrared ray that hits the head of the driver at a constant level.
In the above-described control systems, essential elements are means for recognizing a road compartment line, and means for detecting an object ahead of a vehicle. At present, as the means for recognizing a road compartment line, a CCD camera or a CMOS camera is used. As the means for detecting an object ahead of the vehicle, a millimeter wave radar is used. However, when both of the camera and the radar device are provided, size and cost of the entire apparatus is increased. Also, the radar device cannot clearly recognize an object with a low permittivity (i.e., an object that does not sufficiently reflect the radar wave). Therefore, although it is relatively easy for the radar device to recognize a vehicle, a guard rail, or the like, it is difficult for the radar device to recognize a pedestrian or the like.
In this regard, it is conceivable to project the infrared ray to a pedestrian or the like, and produce an image using the reflected infrared ray, or to produce an image using the infrared ray emitted from a pedestrian or the like due to the body temperature of the pedestrian or the like. If one camera is used to recognize a road compartment line and to produce an image using the infrared ray, the size and the cost of the entire apparatus is not increased.
However, the apparatus described in the above Japanese Patent Application publication No. 2005-47390 and the apparatus described in the above Japanese Patent No. 3119031 are provided for completely different purposes. Therefore, each of these apparatus cannot be used as the camera device for the lane keeping control and the collision prediction control.